As for Sanabia’s defense, well, he’s pleading ignorance on the whole thing. The Associated Presshas the story:

Sanabia said Friday he spit on a baseball earlier in the week to get a better grip, not to get more movement on his pitches. He also repeated he didn’t know it was illegal.

“I didn’t know. I was in my zone and just grooving. It’s something you live and learn from. I didn’t mean anything bad by it or I didn’t mean to do anything more,” Sanabia said. “It’s something that showed up that way and people all of a sudden just create their own perception of.”

While one could argue that Sanabia didn’t gain a significant advantage by spitting on the baseball as opposed to using something like pine tar that could actually have a major impact on movement, that’s one weak excuse. For what it’s worth, Sanabia denied spitting on the baseball in previous outings, saying that he usually just licks his fingers to get a better grip. However, he spit directly on the baseball in this instance because the ball was “super slick.”

Sanabia is slated to make his next start tomorrow against the White Sox. He figures to be on his best behavior.